Give to whoever asks and you will have gifts in return

Jesus taught His followers; ‘Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap; because the standard you use willbe the standard used for you.'  Luke 6:36-38

A certain pastor was telling his pastor mates about how he decided how much of the collection plate he used for God’s work and how much he used for Church renovations etc. One of the fellow pastors said, “This is how I calculate it. I throw the whole collection up in the air and what God wants, He takes. What falls to ground is mine!”

It’s a very generous offer God makes to us in the above Gospel excerpt: Gifts without limit will be given to those who are generous to others. I thought about this as I saw the collection plate heading towards me on Sunday during Mass. I hesitated. I had some money in my pocket. Despite what you may think, I have not been paid a cent from the Diocese since I left priesthood and I didn’t get any money for speaking with the media. Also, I don’t make a lot of money in this new role I have undertaken and the uncertainty of my tenure means I count my money carefully before I think of spending any of it.

I had recently heard a Christian woman telling me about her tithing (giving 10% of her income to God). I wanted to argue with this good person who was attending one of the franchises of the Assemblies of God (of which Hillsong is part) that giving money to Pastor Houston’s empire was not actually giving money to God. In fact, I don’t even believe giving money to priests is giving money to God because I remember being a little wasteful with some of the funds people gave me in another parish. Anyway, I felt compelled to give ten percent of what I made last week and put it in the collection plate. I felt happy with myself after that and certain that it would come back to me in multiples of ten.

Of course giving with the expectation that it’s going to come back tenfold is not really a good motive for giving.   I do believe that Jesus was instructing us to not hold back when we are asked for help from others. He was explaining how God can never be outdone in generosity.

I know it for a fact as I have told you before, I am never without finances even though I do give to whoever asks. Many times in the Philippines I am confronted by beggars who put out their hand pitifully and ask for food. I never refuse if I have money with me. Jesus told us, “Give to anyone who asks” (Luke 6:30) and He never qualified it with advice like, “only if they are not going to spend it on alcohol or cigarettes” or “only if you trust them”. He just flat out ordered us to give to anyone who asks us for something.

It is hard and it sometimes takes some effort but I believe it to be God’s demand. Everything we have is from Him indirectly anyway, so it is His, so He can tell us what to do with it. When we start to think “this is mine, I can do what I like with it” is when we begin to become selfish.

I give to whoever asks and never have empty pockets. I never deplete my resources completely because God gives it back to me. I can’t explain it. Its miraculous.

Now in case you are tempted to think “That’s because you beg for money yourself! I saw your GoFundMe appeals!” Well have a look how much I got from those appeals. Its not a lot! And I have not taken it out. (I didn’t initiate those appeals by the way. It was suggested to me as a way of measuring my support base. I found out from those appeals how few people among my Facebook friends support my cause.)

But I go on undeterred because my mission is not to help my friends. My mission is to assist those who have no one to help them. I am helping some people who don’t even recognise they need my help. It is a mission of love and not of seeking wealth or prosperity however I am sure those will follow because I can’t outdo God in generosity.

I also know it’s impossible for me to fail in my mission because I am motivated by Jesus’ command to give to those who ask.

So try it for yourself. Give to that beggar you see in the park near your work. Give to that dude who looks like he is going to spend your money on smokes. How do you know he is not “Jesus in Disguise” testing you on your Christian authenticity?  Think about the quote from Hebrews 13:2: “Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! “

 Be generous. I guarantee you will get that money back ten-fold.

But this passage is not limited to giving money or material support. What Jesus was actually talking about if you read the section earlier, was not setting limits on your forgiveness. He was also instructing His followers about giving to enemies. He was telling them not to restrict their generosity only to their friends but even to those who are your enemy.

Jesus’ demands are hard and that is why there are so few real Christians sitting on the pews of churches.  But just like exercise is hard if you do it only sporadically, it can become a routine and it does get easier.